Vehicle and method for controlling the same

ABSTRACT

A vehicle includes a vehicle interface unit, an output of which is controlled according to user manipulation. A vehicle information acquisition unit is configured to acquire information about a vehicle state and an output of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state. A storage is configured to store the acquired information about the vehicle state and the output of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state. A model generation unit is configured to generate a user preference model using the stored information about the vehicle state and the output of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state. A controller is configured to control the output of the vehicle interface unit based on the user preference model.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean PatentApplication No. 2013-0135528, filed on Nov. 8, 2013 in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle interface system of avehicle, an output of which varies according to user manipulation, and amethod for controlling the same.

BACKGROUND

A vehicle includes various vehicle interface devices for userconvenience. Here, the vehicle interface device refers to a device tooutput visual or audio content or a device to control an environment(e.g., lighting or temperature) inside the vehicle.

New vehicle interface devices are developed or new functions are addedto the existing vehicle interface devices to meet demands for userconvenience. Examples of the vehicle interface device include a displaydevice such as an audio video navigation (AVN), a cluster and a head updisplay (HUD), a lighting device to control lighting inside the vehicle,and a temperature control device to control a temperature inside thevehicle (e.g., air conditioner and heater).

To use various-type and various-function vehicle interface devices,corresponding user manipulation is required. However, manipulation ofthe various vehicle interface devices may be inconvenient to users whoare unfamiliar with such devices and may cause safety concerns whiledriving.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle capable ofminimizing manipulation loads and visual attention distribution of auser and improving satisfaction of the user by automatically controllinga vehicle interface unit of a vehicle by reflecting user preference, anda method for controlling the same.

Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows and, in part, will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicleincludes a vehicle interface unit, an output of which is controlledaccording to user manipulation. A vehicle information acquisition unitis configured to acquire information about a vehicle state and theoutput of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state. A storage isconfigured to store the acquired information about the vehicle state andthe output of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state. A modelgeneration unit is configured to generate a user preference model usingthe stored information about the vehicle state and the output of thevehicle interface unit in the vehicle state. A controller is configuredto control the output of the vehicle interface unit based on the userpreference model.

The vehicle information acquisition unit may acquire the informationabout the vehicle state and the output of the vehicle interface unit inthe vehicle state every first updated cycle.

The first updated cycle may be set or changed by a user.

The vehicle information acquisition unit may erase previous informationstored in the storage if a used capacity of the storage exceeds astorage threshold value.

The user preference model may include a first model to indicate acorrelation between the vehicle state and the output of the vehicleinterface unit as a conditional probability using the stored informationabout the vehicle state and the output of the vehicle interface unit inthe vehicle state.

The user preference model may further include a second model todetermine the output of the vehicle interface unit corresponding to acurrent vehicle state using a rule defined by a vehicle state conditionand a display result.

The model generation unit may generate the first model by calculatingthe conditional probability of the output of the vehicle interface unitfor each vehicle state based on the stored information about the vehiclestate and the output of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state.

The model generation unit may update the first model by calculating theconditional probability every second updated cycle.

The second updated cycle may be equal to or greater than the firstupdated cycle.

The model generation unit may extract a vehicle state having aconditional probability equal to or greater than a conditionalprobability threshold value and the output of the vehicle interface unitcorresponding to the vehicle state from the first model, and set theextracted vehicle state as the vehicle condition to define the rule andset the extracted output of the vehicle interface unit as the displayresult to define the rule.

The controller may determine the current vehicle state and search forthe rule of the generated second model, in which the current vehiclestate is set as the vehicle state condition.

The controller may control the output of the vehicle interface unitaccording to the display result of the rule in which the current vehiclestate is set as the vehicle state condition when the rule is found.

The model generation unit may determine whether the output of thevehicle interface unit is changed within a threshold time after theoutput of the vehicle interface unit is controlled.

The model generation unit may update a success rate of the rule based ona determination result of whether or not the output of the vehicleinterface unit is changed.

The model generation unit may increase the success rate of the rule ifthe output of the vehicle interface unit is not changed for thethreshold time after the output of the vehicle interface unit iscontrolled.

The model generation unit may reduce the success rate of the rule if theoutput of the vehicle interface unit is changed within the thresholdtime after the output of the vehicle interface unit is controlled.

The model generation unit may erase a rule having a success rate droppedto be equal to or less than a success rate threshold value, andinitialize the conditional probability corresponding to the erased rule.

The vehicle interface unit may include at least one of an audio videonavigation (AVN) device, a cluster, a head up display (HUD), and atemperature control device to control temperature inside the vehicle.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodfor controlling a vehicle including a vehicle interface unit, an outputof which varies according to user manipulation includes acquiring andstoring information about a vehicle state and an output of the vehicleinterface unit in the vehicle state. A user preference model isgenerated using the stored information about the vehicle state and theoutput of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state. The output ofthe vehicle interlace unit is controlled based on the user preferencemodel.

The step of acquiring and storing may include acquiring and storing theinformation about the vehicle state and the output of the vehicleinterface unit in the vehicle state every first updated cycle.

The method may further include erasing old information stored in astorage to store the information about the vehicle state and the outputof the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state if a used capacity ofthe storage exceeds a storage threshold value.

The step of generating the user preference model may include generatinga first model to indicate a correlation between the vehicle state andthe output of the vehicle interface unit as a conditional probabilityusing the stored information about the vehicle state and the output ofthe vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state.

The generating of the user preference model may further includegenerating a second model to determine the output of the vehicleinterface unit corresponding to a current vehicle state using a ruledefined by a vehicle state condition and a display result.

The step of generating the user preference model may include generatingthe first model by calculating the conditional probability of the outputof the vehicle interface unit for each vehicle state based on the storedinformation about the vehicle state and the output of the vehicleinterface unit in the vehicle state.

The step of generating the user preference model may include calculatingthe conditional probability every second updated cycle.

The step of generating the second model may include extracting a vehiclestate having a conditional probability equal to or greater than aconditional probability threshold value and an output of the vehicleinterface unit corresponding to the vehicle state from the first model.The extracted vehicle state is set as the vehicle state condition todefine the rule, and the extracted output of the vehicle interface unitis set as the display result to define the rule.

The step of controlling the output may include determining the currentvehicle state and searching for the rule of the generated second model,in which the current vehicle state is set as the vehicle statecondition.

The step of controlling the output may include controlling the output ofthe vehicle interface unit according to the display result of the rulein which the current vehicle state is set as the vehicle state conditionwhen the rule is found.

The method may further include determining whether the output of thevehicle interface unit is changed within a threshold time after theoutput of the vehicle interface unit is controlled.

The method may further include determining a success rate of the rulebased on a determination result of whether the output of the vehicleinterface unit is changed.

The step of determining may include increasing the success rate of therule if the output of the vehicle interface unit is not changed for thethreshold time after the output of the vehicle interface unit iscontrolled.

The step of determining may include reducing the success rate of therule if the output of the vehicle interface unit is changed within thethreshold time after the output of the vehicle interface unit iscontrolled.

The method may further include erasing a rule having a success ratedropped to be equal to or less than a success rate threshold value, andinitializing the conditional probability corresponding to the erasedrule.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects of the invention will become apparent andmore readily appreciated from the following description of theembodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a vehicle according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the vehicle, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the vehicle in which a vehicle interfaceunit of the vehicle is a display device.

FIG. 4 is a detailed block diagram of the vehicle interface unit,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an external view of the vehicle interface unit of the vehicle,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a structural view of a head up display (HUD) module of thevehicle, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an external view of another example of input units of thevehicle, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example in which a navigation screen is displayedon an audio video navigation (AVN) display.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which an audio screen is displayed onthe AVN display.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which a digital multimediabroadcasting (DMB) screen is displayed on the AVN display.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which a navigation screen is displayedon a cluster display.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example in which a driving information screen isdisplayed on the cluster display.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example in which an audio screen is displayed onthe cluster display.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example in which a speed information screen isdisplayed on an HUD.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example in which a navigation screen is displayedon the HUD.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example in which a proximity sensor screen isdisplayed on the HUD.

FIG. 17 is a table showing information stored in a storage.

FIG. 18 is a table showing an example of a first model generated by amodel generation unit.

FIG. 19 is a table showing an example of a second model generated by themodel generation unit.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a vehicle, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a vehicle inconsideration of a success rate of a rule of a second model, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presentinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elementsthroughout.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a vehicle according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle 100 includes a body 1 to form an exteriorof the vehicle 100 and wheels 51 and 52 to move the vehicle 100. A driveunit 60 rotates the wheels 51 and 52, and doors 71 and 72 (see FIG. 4)isolate an internal space of the vehicle 100 from an externalenvironment. A windshield glass 30 provides a view in front of thevehicle 100 to a driver inside the vehicle 100, and side-view mirrors 81and 82 provides a view behind the vehicle 100 to the driver.

The wheels 51 and 52 include the front wheels 51 provided at a frontpart of the vehicle 100 and rear wheels 52 provided at a rear part ofthe vehicle 100. The drive unit 60 provides torque to the front wheels51 or the rear wheels 52 to move the body 1 in a forward or backwarddirection. The drive unit 60 may use an internal combustion engine togenerate a torque by burning fossil fuel or a electric motor to generatea torque by receiving electricity from a capacitor (not shown).

The doors 71 and 72 are rotatably provided at left and right sides ofthe body 1 to allow the driver to enter the vehicle 100 in an open statethereof and to isolate the internal space of the vehicle 100 from anexternal environment in a closed state thereof.

The windshield glass 30 is provided at a top front part of the body 1 toallow the driver inside the vehicle 100 to acquire visual information infront of the vehicle 100. The side-view mirrors 81 and 82 include a leftside-view mirror 81 provided at the left side of the body 1 and a rightside-view mirror 82 provided at the right side of the body 1, and allowthe driver inside the vehicle 100 to acquire visual information besideor behind the vehicle 100.

In addition, the vehicle 100 may include sensing devices such as aproximity sensor to sense an obstacle or another vehicle behind thevehicle 100, and a rain sensor to sense rain and the amount of rain.

For example, the proximity sensor transmits a sensing signal to a sideor the back of the vehicle 100, and receives a reflection signalreflected from then obstacle such as the other vehicle. The proximitysensor may sense whether the obstacle exists behind the vehicle 100, anddetect the location of the obstacle based on the waveform of thereceived reflection signal. The proximity sensor may use a scheme fortransmitting an ultrasonic wave and detecting the distance to theobstacle using the ultrasonic wave reflected from the obstacle.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the vehicle 100, according to an embodimentof the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the vehicle 100 includes a vehicle interface unit110, the output of which is controlled according to user manipulation. Avehicle information acquisition unit 120 is configured to acquirevehicle information, and a storage 130 is configured to store theacquired vehicle information. A model generation unit 140 is configuredto generate a user preference model using the stored vehicleinformation. A controller 150 is configured to control the output of thevehicle interface unit 110 according to the user preference model. In anembodiment of the present invention, the vehicle information includesinformation about a vehicle state and the output of the vehicleinterface unit 110 in the vehicle state.

The vehicle interface unit 110 may include all devices, the output ofwhich is controlled, i.e., variable, according to user manipulation. Forexample, the vehicle interface unit 110 may be a device to output visualor audio content or a device to control an environment (e.g., lightingor temperature) inside the vehicle 100.

A user includes a driver and a passenger. When the driver starts thevehicle 100 and thus power is supplied to the vehicle interface unit110, the user may turn on the vehicle interface unit 110 or the vehicleinterface unit 110 may be automatically turned on.

When the vehicle interface unit 110 is turned on, the user maymanipulate the vehicle interface unit 110 to output a desired result.For example, the user may manipulate the vehicle interface unit 110 todisplay a desired image if the vehicle interface unit 110 is a displaydevice, or manipulate the vehicle interface unit 110 to adjust the coloror brightness of lighting inside the vehicle 100 to a desired color orbrightness if the vehicle interface unit 110 is a lighting device.Alternatively, the user may manipulate the vehicle interface unit 110 toadjust the temperature inside the vehicle 100 to a desired temperatureif the vehicle interface unit 110 is a temperature control device.

The vehicle information acquisition unit 120 acquires vehicleinformation and stores the acquired vehicle information in the storage130. The acquired vehicle information may be updated in a certain cycle.The cycle to update the vehicle information is referred to as a firstupdate cycle. For example, the vehicle information may be acquired every0.1 sec. or every 1 sec. The first update cycle may be set by defaultwhen the vehicle 100 is designed, or set and changed by the userthereafter.

The vehicle information may be stored in the form of a database, and thestorage 130 may include at least one memory device capable of inputtingand outputting information, for example, a hard disk, flash memory,random access memory (RAM), or an optical disc drive.

The model generation unit 140 may generate a user preference model usingthe vehicle information stored in the storage 130, and store thegenerated user preference model in the storage 130. In an embodiment ofthe present invention, the user preference model refers to a model inwhich a specific vehicle state is mapped to an output of the vehicleinterface unit 110 by the user.

Since the user preference model generated by the model generation unit140 is based on the vehicle information stored in the storage 130, theuser preference model may be updated as the vehicle information isupdated.

The controller 150 controls the output of the vehicle interface unit 110based on the user preference model. Specifically, the controller 150determines a current vehicle state, and determines an output of thevehicle interface unit 110 corresponding to the current vehicle state,based on the user preference model. Then, the controller 150 controlsthe output of the vehicle interface unit 110 to correspond to thecurrent vehicle state.

As described above, the vehicle interface unit 110 may include variousdevices, the output of which varies according to the user manipulation.However, in the following embodiments, it is assumed for convenience ofexplanation that the vehicle interface unit 110 is a display deviceincluding an audio video navigation (AVN) device 111, a cluster 112, anda head up display (HUD) module 113.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram in which the vehicle interface unit 110 of thevehicle 100 is a display device, and FIG. 4 is a detailed block diagramof the vehicle interface unit 110, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the vehicle interface unit 110 mayinclude the AVN device 111, the cluster 112, and the HUD module 113.

The AVN device 111 is a device capable of performing audio, video andnavigation functions according to user manipulation, and maysimultaneously perform two or more functions. For example, the AVNdevice 111 may simultaneously perform the navigation function with theaudio function to reproduce music recorded on a CD or a USB drive, orsimultaneously perform with the video function to display a digitalmultimedia broadcasting (DMB) image.

The AVN device 111 includes an AVN display 111 b to display a screenrelated to the audio function, a screen related to the video function,and a screen related to the navigation function. An AVN controller 111 ais configured to control overall functions performed by the AVN device111 and generate an image to be displayed on the AVN display 111 b, andan AVN input unit 111 c is configured to receive a control commandregarding the AVN device 111 from the user.

In addition, although not shown in FIG. 4, the AVN device 111 mayfurther include a sound output unit to output sound when the audio,video or navigation function is performed.

The cluster 112 includes a cluster display 112 b to display drivinginformation, navigation information, audio information, etc. of thevehicle 100 according to user manipulation, a cluster controller 112 aconfigured to control overall functions performed by the cluster 112 andgenerate an image to be displayed on the cluster display 112 b, and acluster input unit 112 c configured to receive a control commandregarding the cluster 112 from the user.

The HUD module 113 includes an HUD 113 b to display speed information,navigation information, proximity sensor information, etc. of thevehicle 100 according to user manipulation. An HUD controller 113 a isconfigured to control overall functions performed by the HUD module 113and generate an image to be displayed on the HUD 113 b, and an HUD inputunit 113 c is configured to receive a control command regarding the HUDmodule 113 from the user.

FIG. 5 is an external view of the vehicle interface unit 110 of thevehicle 100, according to the embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 6 is a structural view of the HUD module 113 of the vehicle 100,according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the AVN display 111 b may be provided on a centerfascia 11 of a dashboard 10 at a front part of the vehicle 100 to allowthe user, and more particularly, the driver to view or manipulate adisplayed image while driving. The center fascia 11 refers to a centralarea of the dashboard 10 on which a control panel board is locatedbetween a driver seat 21 and a passenger seat 22.

The AVN display 111 b may be implemented as a liquid crystal display(LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), a plasma display panel (PDP), anorganic light emitting diode (OLED), a cathode ray tube (CRT), etc.

The AVN input unit 111 c may be provided near the AVN display 111 b inthe form of hard keys as illustrated in FIG. 5. Alternatively, if theAVN display 111 b is implemented as a touchscreen, the AVN input unit111 c may be provided on an area of the AVN display 111 b in the form ofsoft keys.

The cluster 112 is provided on an area of the dashboard 10 facing asteering wheel 12 to allow the driver to check a gauge while driving,and the cluster display 112 b may also be implemented as the LCD, theLED, the PDP, the OLED, the CRT, etc.

The cluster 112 may further include a speed gauge 112 d to indicate thespeed of the vehicle 100 and a revolutions per minute (RPM) gauge 112 eto indicate RPM of the vehicle 100. In addition to the cluster display112 b, the cluster display 112 b may be disposed between the speed gauge112 d and the RPM gauge 112 e as illustrated in FIG. 5. However, theabove description is merely exemplary and embodiments of the presentinvention are not restricted by the location of the cluster display 112b.

The cluster input unit 112 c may be provided on an area of the steeringwheel 12 in the form of hard keys so as to be manipulated by the driverwhile grasping the steering wheel 12. Alternatively, the cluster inputunit 112 c may be provided behind the steering wheel 12 in the form of alever such that the user may control the cluster 112 by pushing thelever forward, backward, upward, or downward.

The HUD module 113 is a device to display visual information provided tothe user, on the windshield glass 30 of the vehicle 100. An image outputfrom the HUD module 113 is displayed on a display area 31 of thewindshield glass 30 as illustrated in FIG. 6. A detailed description isnow given of the configuration and operation of the HUD module 113 withreference to FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 6, the HUD 113 b may be provided at a front part ofthe vehicle 100, and a reflective plate 113 d may be provided in frontof the HUD 113 b. When the HUD 113 b outputs an image in the forwarddirection, the output image is reflected on the reflective plate 113 dand then projected onto the windshield glass 30. In this case, thewindshield glass 30 functions as a combiner.

Since the projected image is viewed by a driver 5 after being reflectedfrom the windshield glass 30, although the driver 5 views the image onthe display area 31 of the windshield glass 30 as illustrated in FIG. 5,the image which is actually viewed by the driver 5 is a virtual image 31a formed outside the windshield glass 30.

The configuration of the HUD module 113 illustrated in FIG. 6 is merelyan embodiment of the present invention, and a plurality of or noreflective plates 113 d may be provided or a diffractive element may beadditionally provided according to the structure of the HUD module 113.

Referring back to FIG. 5, like the cluster input unit 112 c, the HUDinput unit 113 c may also be provided on an area of the steering wheel12 in the form of hard keys so as to be manipulated by the driver whilegrasping the steering wheel 12. Alternatively, the HUD input unit 113 cmay be provided behind the steering wheel 12 in the form of a lever suchthat the user may control the HUD module 113 by pushing the leverforward, backward, upward, or downward.

Although the AVN input unit 111 c, the cluster input unit 112 c and theHUD input unit 113 c are separately provided in the embodiment of FIG.5, the AVN input unit 111 c may further perform the function of thecluster input unit 112 c or the HUD input unit 113 c, the cluster inputunit 112 c may further perform the function of the AVN input unit 111 cor the HUD input unit 113 c, or the HUD input unit 113 c may furtherperform the function of the AVN input unit 111 c or the cluster inputunit 112 c.

FIG. 7 is an external view of another example of the AVN input unit 111c, the cluster input unit 112 c and the HUD input unit 113 c of thevehicle 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the vehicle 100 may include a center console 40which is located between the driver seat 21 and the passenger seat 22and on which a gear lever 41 and a tray 42 are formed.

A jog shuttle 43 or a joystick may be further formed on the centerconsole 40, and thus, at least one of the AVN input unit 111 c, thecluster input unit 112 c and the HUD input unit 113 c may be implementedas the jog shuttle 43. In this case, the user may control the AVN device111, the cluster 112, or the HUD module 113 by pushing the jog shuttle43 forward, backward, leftward, or rightward, or rotating the jogshuttle 43.

If at least one of the AVN input unit 111 c, the cluster input unit 112c, and the HUD input unit 113 c is formed on the center console 40, thejog shuttle 43 illustrated in FIG. 7 is merely an example applicable toan embodiment of the present invention, and the form of hard keys isalso available instead of the jog shuttle 43 or the joystick.

As described above, the vehicle information acquisition unit 120acquires the vehicle information every first update cycle by determiningthe current vehicle state and the outputs of the AVN display 111 b, thecluster display 112 b and the HUD 113 b. A description is now given ofexamples of the vehicle information with reference to FIGS. 8 to 17.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example in which a navigation screen is displayedon the AVN display 111 b. FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which anaudio screen is displayed on the AVN display 111 b, and FIG. 10illustrates an example in which a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB)screen is displayed on the AVN display 111 b.

If the user manipulates the AVN input unit 111 c to select thenavigation function, the navigation screen is displayed on the AVNdisplay 111 b as illustrated in FIG. 8. Even though two or morefunctions including the navigation function are selected, the user mayselect the navigation screen to be displayed on the AVN display 111 b.

For example, since the navigation function may be selected to provideguidance to a destination, and simultaneously, the audio function may beselected to play music, in this case, the AVN input unit 111 c may bemanipulated to display the navigation screen on the AVN display 111 b.

If the user manipulates the AVN input unit 111 c to select the audiofunction, the audio screen is displayed on the AVN display 111 b asillustrated in FIG. 9, and sound is output from a sound output unit (notshown). Even though two or more functions including the audio functionare selected, the user may select the audio screen to be displayed onthe AVN display 111 b.

As described above, since the navigation function may be selected toprovide guidance to a destination, and simultaneously, the audiofunction may be selected to play music, in this case, the AVN input unit111 c may be manipulated to display the audio screen on the AVN display111 b and provide guidance to a destination with sound only through thesound output unit.

If the user manipulates the AVN input unit 111 c to select the videofunction, the DMB screen may be displayed on the AVN display 111 b asillustrated in FIG. 10.

DMB is an example of the video function, and the video function mayfurther include a function to reproduce video data recorded on a DVD ora USB drive, in addition to DMB.

Even though two or more functions including the video function areselected, the user may select the DMB screen to be displayed on the AVNdisplay 111 b.

For example, since the navigation function may be selected to provideguidance to a destination, and simultaneously, the video function may beselected to view the DMB, the AVN input unit 111 c may be manipulated todisplay the DMB screen on the AVN display 111 b and provide guidance tothe destination with sound only through the sound output unit.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which a navigation screen is displayedon the cluster display 112 b, FIG. 12 illustrates an example in which adriving information screen is displayed on the cluster display 112 b,and FIG. 13 illustrates an example in which an audio screen is displayedon the cluster display 112 b.

If the user manipulates the cluster input unit 112 c to display thenavigation screen, the navigation screen is displayed on the clusterdisplay 112 b as illustrated in FIG. 11.

The cluster display 112 b may briefly display information inconsideration of spatial constraints. Accordingly, when the navigationscreen is displayed, path information for guidance to a destination maybe displayed more briefly compared to the screen displayed on the AVNdisplay 111 b of FIG. 8.

If the user manipulates the cluster input unit 112 c to display thedriving information screen, the driving information screen is displayedon the cluster display 112 b as illustrated in FIG. 12. The drivinginformation screen may display information about a driving distance ortime from a reset point to a current point, the distance to emptyaccording to a current amount of fuel, an average mileage according tofuel consumption, etc. In addition, other types of information aboutdriving of the vehicle 100 may also be displayed.

If the user manipulates the cluster input unit 112 c to display theaudio screen, the audio screen may be displayed on the cluster display112 b as illustrated in FIG. 13. As described above in relation to FIG.11, the cluster display 112 b may briefly display information inconsideration of spatial constraints.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example in which a speed information screen isdisplayed on the HUD 113 b, FIG. 15 illustrates an example in which anavigation screen is displayed on the HUD 113 b, and FIG. 16 illustratesan example in which a proximity sensor screen is displayed on the HUD113 b.

If the user manipulates the HUD input unit 113 c to display the speedinformation screen, a screen indicating a current speed of the vehicle100 and a speed limit at a current location is displayed on the HUD 113b as illustrated in FIG. 14. As described above in relation to FIG. 6,an image displayed on the HUD 113 b is viewed by the user on the displayarea 31 of the windshield glass 30, the image viewed on the display area31 is the image displayed on the HUD 113 b.

If the user manipulates the HUD input unit 113 c to display thenavigation screen, the navigation screen is displayed on the HUD 113 bas illustrated in FIG. 15.

The HUD 113 b may also briefly display information in consideration ofspatial constraints. Accordingly, when the navigation screen isdisplayed, path information for guidance to a destination may bedisplayed more briefly compared to the screen displayed on the AVNdisplay 111 b of FIG. 8.

If the user manipulates the HUD input unit 113 c to display theproximity sensor screen, the proximity sensor screen is displayed on theHUD 113 b as illustrated in FIG. 16. The proximity sensor screen is ascreen to visually indicate the distance between the vehicle 100 and anobject adjacent to the vehicle 100 based on information sensed by aproximity sensor mounted on the vehicle 100.

Screens to be displayed on the AVN display 111 b, the cluster display112 b and the HUD 113 b are not limited to those illustrated in FIGS. 8to 16. In addition to the illustrated screens, various screens toprovide information about the vehicle 100 and information for userconvenience may be displayed. However, in the following embodiment, itis assumed for convenience of explanation that the AVN display 111 b,the cluster display 112 b and the HUD 113 b display the screensillustrated in FIGS. 8 to 16.

Information about screens displayed on the AVN display 111 b, thecluster display 112 b and the HUD 113 b is the information about theoutput of the vehicle interface unit 110, which is included in thevehicle information. Accordingly, the vehicle information acquisitionunit 120 may acquire information about a vehicle state and screensdisplayed on the AVN display 111 b, the cluster display 112 b and theHUD 113 b at a point of time when the information is acquired.

FIG. 17 is a table showing information stored in the storage 130.

Referring to FIG. 17, the vehicle information acquisition unit 120acquires information about a vehicle state and screens displayed on theAVN display 111 b (“AVN” in FIG. 17), the cluster display 112 b (“CLU”in FIG. 17), and the HUD 113 b (“HUD” in FIG. 17) every first updatecycle, and stores the information in the storage 130.

“A,” “B,” and “C” indicate types of the screen displayed on the AVNdisplay 111 b. For example, “A” may indicate a navigation screen, “B”may indicate an audio screen, and “C” may indicate a video screen.

“L,” “M,” and “N” indicate types of the screen displayed on the clusterdisplay 112 b. For example, “L” may indicate a navigation screen, “M”may indicate a driving information screen, and “N” may indicate an audioscreen.

“P,” “Q,” and “R” indicate types of the screen displayed on the HUD 113b. For example, “P” may indicate a speed information screen, “Q” mayindicate a navigation screen, and “R” may indicate a proximity sensorscreen.

Three vehicle states such as vehicle state 1, vehicle state 2, andvehicle state 3 are defined in the current example, and may be definedbased on one or a combination of acquirable individual pieces ofinformation. Each vehicle state may be set by a designer or the user.

The information used to define the vehicle state may include whether adestination is set, whether the vehicle 100 is driven during the day/atnight, whether the brake is depressed, the speed of the vehicle 100,whether the vehicle 100 is powered on/off, external air temperature,rain sensor information, global positioning system (GPS) information(indicating road types), road information (acquired by a navigationdevice), current time, whether an AVN function is performed, etc.

For example, the vehicle state may be defined based on whether the speedof the vehicle 100 is equal to or greater than 70 km/h and whether itrains (rain sensor information), or based on whether the speed of thevehicle 100 is equal to or greater than 100 km/h and whether the vehicle100 is on an expressway (GPS information).

In the current example, the vehicle state is defined based on acombination of whether a destination is set and whether the vehicle 100is driven during the day/at night. Vehicle state 1 is defined as a statein which the destination is set and the vehicle 100 is driven at night,vehicle state 2 is defined as a state in which the destination is notset and the vehicle 100 is driven at night, and vehicle state 3 isdefined as a state in which the destination is set and the vehicle 100is driven during the day.

Each vehicle state and screens displayed on the AVN display 111 b, thecluster display 112 b and the HUD 113 b corresponding to the vehiclestate form one piece of vehicle information.

If vehicle information at the first row of FIG. 17 is the oldestinformation stored in the storage 130, the information indicated at thefirst row indicates that a vehicle state determined at a specific pointof time when the vehicle information is acquired is a state in which adestination is set and the vehicle 100 is driven at night (vehicle state1), a navigation screen is displayed on the AVN display 111 b, a drivinginformation screen is displayed on the cluster display 112 b, and anavigation screen is displayed on the HUD 113 b.

The information indicated at the second row of FIG. 17 indicates that avehicle state determined at a point of time after a time correspondingto the first update cycle has passed from the specific point of timewhen the information indicated at the first row is acquired is a statein which a destination is set and the vehicle 100 is driven at night(vehicle state 1), and a navigation screen is displayed on all of theAVN display 111 b, the cluster display 112 b and the HUD 113 b.

In this manner, the vehicle information acquisition unit 120 may acquireup to the most recent vehicle information and store the acquired vehicleinformation in the storage 130.

However, since the storage 130 has a limited capacity, if a usedcapacity of the storage 130 exceeds a preset threshold capacity, oldinformation may be erased. Whether the used capacity exceeds thethreshold capacity may be determined by directly measuring the usedcapacity or based on whether a preset threshold time has elapsed.

The latter case is based on a fact that the vehicle informationacquisition unit 120 updates the vehicle information every certain cycle(first update cycle), and thus, the capacity of stored information ispredictable over time. Accordingly, the threshold time used to determinewhether the used capacity exceeds the threshold capacity may bedetermined according to the first update cycle and the capacity of thestorage 130.

Determination of the used capacity and transmission of an erase commandmay be performed by the vehicle information acquisition unit 120 or thecontroller 150.

The model generation unit 140 generates a user preference model based onthe vehicle information stored in the storage 130, and the userpreference model may include two-step models (e.g., first model andsecond model) to improve reliability.

FIG. 18 is a table showing an example of a first model generated by themodel generation unit 140, and FIG. 19 is a table showing an example ofa second model generated by the model generation unit 140.

The first model is a probability model to indicate a correlation betweenthe vehicle state and the output of the vehicle interface unit 110 as aprobability value using the theory of conditional probability.Accordingly, the model generation unit 140 may generate the first modelby calculating a conditional probability of the output of the vehicleinterface unit 110 for each vehicle state based on the vehicleinformation stored in the storage 130.

The first model includes conditional probabilities about various casesdefined by the vehicle state and the output of the vehicle interfaceunit 110. For example, the various cases may include a case in which thevehicle state is vehicle state 1, and the AVN display 111 b displays anavigation screen, a case in which the vehicle state is vehicle state 1and the AVN display 111 b displays a video screen, a case in which thevehicle state is vehicle state 2, and the cluster display 112 b displaysa driving information screen, etc.

Since a conditional probability P (b|a) indicates a probability thatevent b occurs when event a occurs, the first model may be P (output ofvehicle interface unit|vehicle state) and indicate a correlation betweenthe vehicle state and the output of the vehicle interface unit 110.

The model generation unit 140 may generate the first model using thewhole or a recent part of the vehicle information stored in the storage130.

If a recent part of the vehicle information is used, the vehicleinformation used to generate the first model may be information storedwithin a certain period from a point of time when the first model isgenerated, and the certain period may be a week or a day. In anembodiment of the present invention, the certain period is notrestrictive and may be set by a designer, set and changed by the user,or automatically changed by the model generation unit 140 according to asuccess rate of the second model to be described below.

For example, if the model generation unit 140 generates the first modelusing 10 pieces of vehicle information stored in the storage 130, and ifthe 10 pieces of vehicle information include 5 pieces of vehicleinformation indicating that the vehicle state is vehicle state 1 and the5 pieces of vehicle information include 1 piece of vehicle informationindicating that the output of the AVN display 111 b is an audio screen,the probability that the AVN display 111 b displays an audio screen whenthe vehicle state is vehicle state 1, i.e., a conditional probabilityP_(AVN) (B|vehicle state 1) of a case in which the vehicle state isvehicle state 1 and the AVN display 111 b displays an audio screen, is20%.

For example, in FIG. 18, when the vehicle state is vehicle state 1, aprobability that the AVN display 111 b displays a navigation screen is70%, a probability that the AVN display 111 b displays an audio screenis 30%, and a probability that the AVN display 111 b displays a videoscreen is 0%.

When the vehicle state is vehicle state 2, a probability that thecluster display 112 b displays a navigation screen is 30%, a probabilitythat the cluster display 112 b displays a driving information screen is40%, and a probability that the cluster display 112 b displays an audioscreen is 30%.

When the vehicle state is vehicle state 3, a probability that the HUD113 b displays a speed information screen is 100%, and a probabilitythat the HUD 113 b displays another screen is 0%.

When the vehicle state is the same, a sum of conditional probabilitiesfor one display should be 100%. For example, P (A∪B∪C|1)=100%. Thisprinciple equally applies to the other vehicle states and the otherdisplays.

The model generation unit 140 may update the conditional probabilitiesincluded in the first model, every certain cycle. The cycle to updatethe conditional probabilities is referred to as a second update cycle.The second update cycle may be equal to or greater than the first updatecycle. For example, if the vehicle information stored in the storage 130is updated every 1 sec., the conditional probabilities may also beupdated every 1 sec. whenever the vehicle information is updated.Alternatively, the conditional probabilities may be updated every 1 min.

The model generation unit 140 extracts cases having conditionalprobabilities equal to or greater than a preset threshold value from thefirst model, and generates the second model using the vehicle state andthe output of the vehicle interface unit 110 in the extracted cases.

The second model is a rule model to determine an output of the vehicleinterface unit 110 corresponding to a current vehicle state, i.e., anoutput of the vehicle interface unit 110 predicted as being preferred bythe user in a current vehicle state, using a rule defined by a vehiclestate condition and a display result.

Vehicle states in cases having conditional probabilities equal to orgreater than the threshold value may be set as vehicle state conditions,and outputs of the vehicle interface unit 110 in those cases may be setas display results. The second model may include a plurality of rulesdefined by the conditions and the results.

For example, if the threshold value for the conditional probabilities isset to 70%, cases having conditional probabilities equal to or greaterthan 70% are extracted from the first model. The threshold value for theconditional probabilities may be set by a designer, set and changed bythe user, or automatically set and changed by the model generation unit140 according to a success rate of the second model to be describedbelow.

If there are two or more cases having conditional probabilities equal toor greater than the threshold value are extracted with respect to thesame vehicle state and the same display, a case having a higherconditional probability may be extracted or an arbitrary case may beselected. Even though the two or more cases having conditionalprobabilities equal to or greater than the threshold value have the sameconditional probability, an arbitrary case may be selected.

Otherwise, if there is no case having a conditional probability equal toor greater than the threshold value with respect to one vehicle state,the output of the vehicle interface unit 110 is not automaticallycontrolled, and a current output may be constantly maintained.

The second model shown in FIG. 19 is based on the first model shown inFIG. 18. Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the cases having conditionalprobabilities equal to or greater than 70% include a case in which thevehicle state is vehicle state 1 and the AVN display 111 b displays anavigation screen (rule 1), a case in which the vehicle state is vehiclestate 2 and the AVN display 111 b displays a navigation screen (rule 2),and a case in which the vehicle state is vehicle state 3 and the AVNdisplay 111 b displays a navigation screen (rule 3).

A case in which the vehicle state is vehicle state 1 and the clusterdisplay 112 b displays a navigation screen (rule 4), and a case in whichthe vehicle state is vehicle state 3 and the cluster display 112 bdisplays a navigation screen (rule 5) also have conditionalprobabilities equal to or greater than 70%, and thus are extracted togenerate the second model.

In addition, a case in which the vehicle state is vehicle state 1 andthe HUD 113 b displays a navigation screen (rule 6), a case in which thevehicle state is vehicle state 2 and the HUD 113 b displays a proximitysensor screen (rule 7), and a case in which the vehicle state is vehiclestate 3 and the HUD 113 b displays a speed information screen (rule 8)also have conditional probabilities equal to or greater than 70%, andthus are extracted to generate the second model.

The first and second models generated by the model generation unit 140may be stored in the storage 130 and updated as the vehicle informationis updated.

The controller 150 controls the output of the vehicle interface unit 110based on the second model generated by the model generation unit 140.Specifically, the controller 150 may determine a current vehicle state,search for a rule of the second model stored in the storage 130, inwhich the current vehicle state is set as a vehicle state condition, andcontrol the output of the vehicle interface unit 110 to correspond to adisplay result of the rule if the rule is found.

Accordingly, in the example of FIG. 19, if the current vehicle state isvehicle state 1, all of the AVN display 111 b, the cluster display 112b, and the HUD 113 b may be controlled to display a navigation screenaccording to rule 1, rule 4, and rule 6.

If the current vehicle state is vehicle state 2, the AVN display 111 bmay be controlled to display a navigation screen according to rule 2,and the HUD 113 b may be controlled to display a proximity sensor screenaccording to rule 7. With respect to the cluster display 112 b, sincethere is no case having a conditional probability equal to or greaterthan the threshold value when the vehicle state is vehicle state 2, thecontroller 150 may not control the cluster display 112 b and a currentstate of the cluster display 112 b may be constantly maintained.

Alternatively, if the current vehicle state is vehicle state 3, the AVNdisplay 111 b may be controlled to display a navigation screen accordingto rule 3, the cluster display 112 b may be controlled to display anavigation screen according to rule 5, and the HUD 113 b may becontrolled to display a speed information screen according to rule 8.

In addition to the vehicle state condition and the display result, asuccess rate of a rule may also be a factor of the second model. Asuccess rate of a generated rule may be set to an initial value, ascreen of a display may be switched according to a rule corresponding toa current vehicle state, and then the success rate may be increased orreduced according to whether the switched screen is changed. If thesuccess rate of the rule is dropped to be equal to or less than athreshold value, the rule is regarded as having no reliability and aconditional probability of the first model in a case corresponding tothe rule is initialized.

Specifically, after a screen of a display is automatically switchedaccording to a rule of the second model, if the switched screen ismaintained for a threshold time, i.e., if the user does not change theswitched screen, this is determined as one-time success and a successrate is increased. On the other hand, if the user changes the output ofthe vehicle interface unit 110 within the threshold time, this isdetermined as one-time failure and the success rate is reduced.

The threshold time used to determine the success rate may be preset orset by the user, or automatically set or changed by the model generationunit 140 in consideration of reliability of the second model.

For example, if the initial value of the success rate is set to 50% andthe threshold value of the success rate is set to 40%, in the example ofFIG. 18, conditional probabilities in cases corresponding to rule 4 andrule 6 are initialized.

Although screens displayed on the AVN display 111 b, the cluster display112 b and the HUD 113 b are automatically controlled in the aboveembodiments, only one or two of the AVN display 111 b, the clusterdisplay 112 b and the HUD 113 b may be controlled instead of controllingall displays.

Alternatively, the user may select an automatic control function for thevehicle interface unit 110, and the output of the vehicle interface unit110 may be automatically controlled only when the user selects theautomatic control function.

Otherwise, automatic control of a screen may be performed only when acorresponding function is turned on or regardless of whether thecorresponding function is turned on or off.

For example, in the latter case, even though a navigation function iscurrently turned off, if a rule corresponding to a current vehicle statehas a display result to display a navigation screen, the controller 150may control the AVN device 111 to turn on the navigation function.Likewise, even though an audio function is currently turned off, if arule corresponding to a current vehicle state has a display result todisplay an audio screen, the controller 150 may control the AVN device111 to turn on the audio function.

Alternatively, on/off of each function performed by the AVN device 111may be automatically controlled regardless of screen control.Specifically, when the user enjoys listening to a favorite radio programin a specific time on rainy days, a vehicle state is defined by rainsensor information and a current time, and an output of the vehicleinterface unit 110 corresponding the vehicle state is set as contentprovided by the AVN device 111, if a current vehicle state indicate rainand the specific time, even though an audio function is not currentlyturned on, the controller 150 may automatically turn on the AVN device111 to output the favorite radio program of the user.

The vehicle interface unit 110 may be a lighting device or a temperaturecontrol device. In this case, vehicle information may be acquiredaccording to the above-described scheme, first and second models may begenerated based on the acquired vehicle information, and thus, thelighting device or the temperature control device may be automaticallycontrolled.

For example, when the vehicle interface unit 110 is a lighting device, avehicle state may be defined by rain sensor information anddaytime/nighttime information. If the lighting device is capable ofdisplaying a plurality of colors or has a plurality of brightnesslevels, brightness levels or colors of the lighting device in a case inwhich it rains and the vehicle 100 is driven during the day (vehiclestate 1), a case in which it rains and the vehicle 100 is driven atnight (vehicle state 2), a case in which it doesn't rain and the vehicle100 is driven during the day (vehicle state 3), and a case in which itdoesn't rain and the vehicle 100 is driven at night (vehicle state 4)may be correspondingly stored as outputs of the vehicle interface unit110.

A description is now given of a method for controlling a vehicle,according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 100according to the previous embodiments is applicable to the methodaccording to the current embodiment, and thus, the descriptions of theprevious embodiments are equally applicable to the method to bedescribed below.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a vehicle accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 20, vehicle information is acquired and stored atevery certain cycle (311). Here, the certain cycle to acquire thevehicle information is referred to as a first update cycle. The vehicleinformation includes information about a vehicle state and an output ofa vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state. The vehicle state isdefined by one or a combination of acquirable individual pieces ofinformation. The acquirable individual pieces of information may includewhether a destination is set, whether the vehicle is driven during theday/at night, whether the brake is depressed, the speed of the vehicle,whether the vehicle is powered on/off, external air temperature, rainsensor information, global positioning system (GPS) information(indicating road types), road information (acquired by a navigationdevice), current time, whether an AVN function is performed, etc.

The vehicle interface unit may include all devices, the output of whichvaries according to user manipulation, among devices included in thevehicle, and the output of the vehicle interlace unit may be related tovisual or audio content, or to an environment (e.g., lighting ortemperature) inside the vehicle. Accordingly, in the method according tothe current embodiment, the vehicle interface unit may be a displaydevice included in the vehicle (e.g., AVN device, cluster, or HUDmodule), or a temperature control device or a lighting device.

A first model is generated using the stored vehicle information (312).The first model is a probability model to indicate a correlation betweena current vehicle state and an output of the vehicle interface unit as aprobability value using the theory of conditional probability.Accordingly, the first model may be generated by calculating aconditional probability of the output of the vehicle interface unit foreach vehicle state using the whole or a recent part of the storedvehicle information.

As the vehicle information is updated, the first model may also beupdated in a second update cycle. The second update cycle may be equalto or greater than the first update cycle.

A second model is generated based on the generated first model (313).Specifically, the second model is generated using vehicle states incases having conditional probabilities equal to or greater than a presetthreshold value, and outputs of the vehicle interface unit correspondingto the vehicle states. The second model is a rule model to determine anoutput of the vehicle interface unit preferred by the user in a currentvehicle state, using a rule defined by a vehicle state condition and adisplay result. Vehicle states in cases having conditional probabilitiesequal to or greater than the threshold value may be set as vehicle stateconditions, and outputs of the vehicle interface unit corresponding tothe vehicle states may be set as display results. The second model mayinclude a plurality of rules defined by the vehicle state conditions andthe display results.

The output of the vehicle interface unit is controlled based on thegenerated second model (314). Specifically, a current vehicle state maybe determined, a rule of the generated second model in which the currentvehicle state is set as a vehicle state condition may be found, and theoutput of the vehicle interface unit may be controlled to correspond toa display result of the found rule.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a vehicle inconsideration of a success rate of a rule of a second model, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 21, operations 321 to 324 are the same as operations311 to 314 of FIG. 20, and thus detailed descriptions thereof areomitted here.

In addition to the condition and the result, a success rate of a rulemay also be a factor of the second model. Accordingly, it is determinedwhether the output of the vehicle interface unit is maintained for athreshold time (325), and the success rate of the rule is updatedaccording to a result of determination (326).

Specifically, the success rate of the rule is set to an initial valueand the output of the vehicle interface unit is controlled according tothe rule of the second model. Then, if the output is maintained for thethreshold time, i.e., if the user does not change the output of thevehicle interface unit, this is determined as one-time success and thesuccess rate is increased. On the other hand, if the user changes theoutput of the vehicle interface unit within the threshold time, this isdetermined as one-time failure and the success rate is reduced.

The threshold time used to determine the success rate may be set by adesigner or the user, or automatically set or changed by a modelgeneration unit in consideration of reliability of the second model.

According to the above-described vehicle and the method for controllingthe same, since a vehicle interface unit is automatically controlled byreflecting user preference, manipulation loads and visual attentiondistribution of a user while driving may be minimized and thus safetymay be improved.

In addition, since the vehicle automatically provides user-desiredservice to the user, customer satisfaction may be improved.

As is apparent from the above description, manipulation loads and visualattention distribution of a user may be minimized, and satisfaction ofthe user may be improved by automatically controlling a vehicleinterface unit of a vehicle by reflecting user preference.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatchanges may be made in these embodiments without departing from theprinciples and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined inthe claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle comprising: a vehicle interface unit,an output of which is controlled according to user manipulation; avehicle information acquisition unit configured to acquire informationabout a vehicle state and the output of the vehicle interface unit inthe vehicle state; a storage configured to store the acquiredinformation about the vehicle state and the output of the vehicleinterface unit in the vehicle state; a model generation unit configuredto generate a user preference model using the stored information aboutthe vehicle state and the output of the vehicle interface unit in thevehicle state; and a controller configured to control the output of thevehicle interface unit based on the user preference model.
 2. Thevehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle informationacquisition unit acquires the information about the vehicle state andthe output of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state everyfirst update cycle.
 3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein thefirst updated cycle is set or changed by a user.
 4. The vehicleaccording to claim 2, wherein the vehicle information acquisition uniterases previous information stored in the storage if a used capacity ofthe storage exceeds a storage threshold value.
 5. The vehicle accordingto claim 2, wherein the user preference model comprises a first model toindicate a correlation between the vehicle state and the output of thevehicle interface unit as a conditional probability using the storedinformation about the vehicle state and the output of the vehicleinterlace unit in the vehicle state.
 6. The vehicle according to claim5, wherein the user preference model further comprises a second model todetermine the output of the vehicle interface unit corresponding to acurrent vehicle state using a rule defined by a vehicle state conditionand a display result.
 7. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein themodel generation unit generates the first model by calculating theconditional probability of the output of the vehicle interface unit foreach vehicle state based on the stored information about the vehiclestate and the output of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state.8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the model generation unitupdates the first model by calculating the conditional probability everysecond updated cycle.
 9. The vehicle according to claim 8, wherein thesecond updated cycle is equal to or greater than the first updatedcycle.
 10. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the modelgeneration unit extracts a vehicle state having the conditionalprobability equal to or greater than a probability threshold value andthe output of the vehicle interface unit corresponding to the vehiclestate from the first model, and sets the extracted vehicle state as thevehicle state condition to define the rule number and sets the extractedoutput of the vehicle interface unit as the display result to define therule.
 11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the controllerdetermines the current vehicle state and searches for the rule of thegenerated second model, in which the current vehicle state is set as thevehicle state condition.
 12. The vehicle according to claim 11, whereinthe controller controls the output of the vehicle interface unitaccording to the rule in which the current vehicle state is set as thevehicle state condition, when the rule is found.
 13. The vehicleaccording to claim 12, wherein the model generation unit determineswhether the output of the vehicle interface unit is changed within athreshold time after the output of the vehicle interface unit iscontrolled.
 14. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the modelgeneration unit updates a success rate of the rule based on adetermination result of whether or not the output of the vehicleinterface unit is changed.
 15. The vehicle according to claim 14,wherein the model generation unit increases the success rate of the rulenumber if the output of the vehicle interface unit is not changed forthe threshold time after the output of the vehicle interface unit iscontrolled.
 16. The vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the modelgeneration unit reduces the success rate of the rule if the output ofthe vehicle interface unit is changed within the threshold time afterthe second output of the vehicle interface unit is controlled.
 17. Thevehicle according to claim 16, wherein the model generation unit erasesa rule having a success rate dropped to be equal to or less than asuccess rate threshold value, and initializes the conditionalprobability corresponding to the erased rule.
 18. The vehicle accordingto claim 1, wherein the vehicle interface unit comprises at least one ofan audio video navigation (AVN) device, a cluster, a head up display(HUD), a lighting device to control lighting inside the vehicle, and atemperature control device to control temperature inside the vehicle.19. A method for controlling a vehicle comprising a vehicle interfaceunit, an output of which varies according to user manipulation, themethod comprising steps of: acquiring and storing information about avehicle state and the output of the vehicle interface unit in thevehicle state; generating a user preference model using the storedinformation about the vehicle state and the output of the vehicleinterface unit in the vehicle state; and controlling the output of thevehicle interface unit based on the user preference model.
 20. Themethod according to claim 19, wherein the step of acquiring and storingcomprises acquiring and storing the information about the vehicle stateand the output of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state everyfirst updated cycle.
 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein thestep of generating the user preference model comprises steps of:generating a first model to indicate a correlation between the vehiclestate and the output of the vehicle interface unit as a conditionalprobability using the stored information about the vehicle state and theoutput of the vehicle interface unit in the vehicle state; andgenerating a second model to determine the output of the vehicleinterface unit corresponding to a current vehicle state using a ruledefined by a vehicle state condition and a display result.
 22. Themethod according to claim 21, further comprising steps of: determiningwhether the output of the vehicle interface unit is changed within athreshold time after the output of the vehicle interface unit iscontrolled; and determining a success rate of the rule based on adetermination result of whether the output of the vehicle interface unitis changed.
 23. The method according to claim 22, further comprisingsteps of: erasing a rule having a success rate dropped to be equal to orless than a success rate threshold value; and initializing theconditional probability corresponding to the erased rule.
 24. Anon-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising computerexecutable instructions of which cause a controller to perform themethod according to claim 19.